COMMUNITY PROJECTS & PARTNERSHIPS

COMMUNITY PROJECTS & PARTNERSHIPS WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE COMMUNITY

The Department of Community Projects & Partnerships works to enhance Jewish communal life worldwide by strengthening community leaders, organizations, and infrastructure; by confronting ongoing communal challenges; by responding to crises and natural disasters; and by bringing Torah values to life.

2,500+

people from 19 countries and 35 states visited the OU Virtual Jewish Community Home Relocation Fair

5M

Kosher Money podcast listens

31,000+

safety reflector belts have been distributed to synagogues throughout North America

GROWING AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES

The OU Virtual Jewish Community Home Relocation Fair showcases the amenities of Orthodox Jewish communities and assists people interested in relocating to find a Jewish community that fits their religious, cultural, social, and financial needs.

In 2022 the Fair hosted:

• 58 communities from 22 states and Israel • 17 new communities that joined the Fair this year • Virtual Auditorium sessions highlighting various communities and sponsors

A Ukrainian family receiving a Passover food package which included grape juice, matzah, meat, chicken and assorted vegetables.

OU COMMUNITY PROJECTS & PARTNERSHIPS

OU COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP RESOURCES

Communal Growth Leadership seminars enable community representatives to collaborate with the OU and develop important strategies and techniques for growth. “Legal Use of Images and Videos” and “Marketing of the Community” were among the recent seminar topics. The OU Community Road Trip provides department professionals an opportunity to hear from local leaders and learn firsthand about the strengths and challenges of our communities. In summer 2022, visits and meetings took place with leaders of Wilkes-Barre (PA), Scranton (PA), Cleveland (OH), Southfield (MI), Oak Park (MI), Pittsburgh (PA), Northeast Philadelphia (PA), and Bensalem (PA).

The lobby of the virtual convention hall where visitors chose the area they wanted to visit. Over 2,500 people from around the world visited the OU’s virtual Community Home Relocation Fair in 2022.

OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Chaim Goldberg gives a presentation about the kashrut of fish.

SPIRIT (Stimulating Program Initiative for Retirees that Inspires Thought)

As baby boomers leave their professional responsibilities, they often look for spiritual, educational, physical, and intellectual stimulation. The SPIRIT program answers these vital needs.

SPIRIT’s impact: • 7,000 people in 19 countries participated in live programs • 50 SPIRIT partner synagogues promote programs to their members

Past SPIRIT programs included: • Halachic aspects of end-of-life issues, tefillah, and aliyah • Memory matters • Treating chronic exhaustion • Jewish history and issues of kashrut • How to advocate for your loved one or yourself

See past archived programs at ou.org/spirit

Rabbi Simon Taylor, national director, Community Projects & Partnerships (left) with Rabbi Pinchos Novoseller, rabbi at Centers Health Care, where Living Smarter Jewish provided financial literacy education for their employees.

STRENGTHENING PARENTS, STRENGTHENING FAMILIES

A healthy parent-child relationship is a core Jewish value. Partnering with experts in the field, the new Gen Aleph initiative focuses on strengthening that bond, so children feel loved and connected to their family and mesorah.

The initiative includes:

• Guiding Good Choices: Parents and caregivers learn to promote healthy development and reduce risky behavior among teens • The Jews Next Dor Podcast: Raising the next generation of committed and passionate Jews • The Digital Citizenship Project: Teaching parents how to best interact with technology to ensure a safe online experience • The Healthy Habits Hub: Encouraging modest changes families can make to create positive results in their homes

Shimon Willig, financial advisor and lecturer, providing financial literacy training for staff at Centers Health Care head office.

LIVING SMARTER JEWISH: FINANCIAL WELLNESS

Living Smarter Jewish (LSJ) helps individuals and families create a pathway toward a healthier financial future and focuses on:

• The Torah value of living responsibly and within one’s means

• Platforms to help individuals take control of their finances and achieve financial literacy

• Financial literacy curricula for yeshiva day schools and parents

• Coaching to help with family budgeting OU COMMUNITY PROJECTS & PARTNERSHIPS

Over the past year, LSJ:

• Helped motivate thousands of community members to purchase life and health insurance, create budgets, open investment accounts, and save for retirement

• Shared a family budgeting form with over 250 families

• Trained 50 coaches in family budgeting and 30 coaches in the shanah rishonah curriculum for young couples

• Referred over 350 families to LSJ coaches

• Referred 105 families to 10 financial planners

• Placed curricula in 20 schools with close to 800 students participating

The Kosher Money podcast, founded with the help of and produced in conjunction with LSJ, has over 5 million listens.

I just met with Stacey Zrihen. AMAZING!!!! I work with Excel all day, but the way she lines up your life, all the things that you never think twice about putting into a budget, and then turning it into a plan.”

- KOSHER MONEY VIEWER

OU COMMUNITY PROJECTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

KLAL YISRAEL RESPONDS TO THE UKRAINE CRISIS

Immediately following the news of the Russian invasion, the Orthodox Union, with partners that included Vaad Hatzalah and Chabad, mobilized a team of professionals and volunteers who launched a centralized food distribution campaign. OU Kosher coordinated food donations from several OU-certified companies.

30,000+

people inside Ukraine and 7,500 outside Ukraine received food

Tens of thousands

of toys were distributed to orphanages in Berlin, Ukraine, Israel, and to the Ukrainian children’s organization Tikva Odessa

The Persidskyi family, whose letter of appreciation appears on the opposite page.

Preparing food distribution at one of the OU’s temporary warehouses in Ukraine.

Recipients of the OU’s Passover distribution in Ukraine.

200

tons of food and medicine distributed for Passover

$5M

raised from over 10K donors

60,000+

kg of meat and chicken, 50,000 liters of grape juice, 35,000 kg of matzah, and 22,000 ready-to-eat meals distributed

A thank you letter from the Persidskyi family. This is one of many notes from families and individuals receiving help from Jewish communities around the world.

We are very grateful for you. It is especially important in these difficult times for Ukraine, when our country is trying to survive in the war with the Russian invaders. Thanks to you we are able to buy food for our family. We are deeply indebted to you for your generosity and help.”